More than a year after being converted from a middle school, Mulcahey Elementary School is still $5,000 short of being able to install a playground.

“I think the kids are disappointed not to have it, but we’re trying to keep them as entertained as possible,” Principal Christel Torres said.

Currently, the school has a fenced-in grassy area and section of blacktop for the kids to play on, but the blacktop, Torres said, is in need of repair and resurfacing. Playground activities currently consist of activities such as jumping rope, playing with hula hoops, drawing with chalk and playing catch.

Once the blacktop is resurfaced, the school will be able to paint hop scotch grids and four square courts on the surface, the principal added.

The Mulcahey PTO is exploring raising funds to resurface the blacktop.

“That will be really helpful,” Torres said.

The School Department, she added, is paying for the playground equipment with a grant.

Even with those items, however, $5,000 would still be needed to cover the cost of excavation, transit and a consultant to ensure compliance with state and federal standards, Torres said.

“The Park and Rec Department has agreed to help with part of the costs, and I know their budget is limited,” she added.

Mulcahey has approximately 480 students in grades K-4. There are nearly 100 kids in each of the school’s five recess periods. About 25 students could use the planned equipment at any given time.

The school initially planned to order a larger apparatus and more swings, but had to scale the plans back a bit, Torres said.

She added that the school intends for the playground to be a community amenity that the general public can enjoy.

“It will be in the front, so we feel the neighborhood will help watch and take care of it,” she said.

The amount of space, Torres said, is more than sufficient.

“I feel that once it’s done, we’ll probably have one of the biggest play areas around,” she said.